Grand night for local greyhound enthusiasts

6:50am Saturday 26th July 2008

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A £1,000 prize fund in the big race at tomorrow night’s St Leger meeting at the the Bolton and Westhoughton Stadium underlines how greyhound racing is rising from the ashes of despair.

Just 18 months ago Bolton’s greyhound racing heritage, going back to before the Second World War, looked very shaky.

New government regulations and a steady decline in interest coupled with encroaching development were sounding the death knell for a sport which gave the ordinary working man and his dog the chance of sporting success – and the chance to win a few quid. Betting and licensing regulations were another blow.

The Bolton track, close to Burnden Park, was flattened several years ago and it was left to the reopened Bolton and Westhoughton Stadium at Marsh Brook Fold to fly the flag. It has been five years of hard graft for owner Rod Eccles and his wife Louise. But it is finally paying off.

Rod said: “Everyone was writing us off early last year. We faced increased red tape, new regulations, higher costs and interference. We asked ourselves whether it was going to be worth the effort.”

There are only four independent tracks in the North these days – the nearest is at Ellesmere Port – but they are fighting hard in the face of rising costs and pressure from authorities.

The Eccles have spent thousands improving the facilities at the track, which is right on the Westhoughton and Hindley border, and have been heavily involved in fighting for the future of the unlicensed – or flapping – tracks in government circles.

Rod believes he and other representatives of unlicensed tracks have drawn attention to the essential differences between independent and NGRC racing. “There is room for both and we will continue to fight on behalf of what we call one-man-and-his-dog,” he said.

“We have come a long way, but there is still some way to go. The most annoying part of the job is having to fend off rumours every few weeks that the track is closing. It isn’t. Racing here is healthy and we are in a good position now to comply with all the new regulations.”

Former racehorse owner and publican Jimmy Hughes has raced dogs at Bolton for many years. “There’s no doubt that Rod has worked hard to keep Bolton greyhound racing on the map,” he said. The track usually races on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but tomorrow is one of the big nights of the year.